Question

After listening to Alberto Cairo's talk, discuss why it is important and challenging to engage the beneficiaries of humanitarian action. Utilizing the Humanitarian Charter in the Sphere Project, consider why cultural competence is important to humanitarian action and how it can be improved.

Answer 1

A humanitarian is a person who actively engages in promoting human welfare

The main, overarching goal of humanitarianism is to alleviate suffering

Humanitarianism emerges from the idea of the inherent worth of every human being.

The ideal of humanitarian action is assistance based on the severity of need with the consent of all

Humanitarian aids saving lives, alleviating suffering, and allowing people to live with dignity through the provision of basic goods and services., rooted in compassion.

Essential characteristics of humanitarian aid:

1. Focuses on needs before wants. Apolitical.
2. Addresses the symptoms before addressing the causes or providing action.
3. Provided in the short term more than the long term.
4. Closely linked to response to disasters.

Reasons for giving aid:

1. Compassion: moral imperative, religious obligation, altruism
2. Change: saves live, improve quality of life, offers economic opportunities
3. Containment: maintain global security, impacts migration

Sphere Humanitarian Charter:

Ethical and legal backdrop to the Protection

Principles and the Core and minimum standards to follow:
-part legal rights and obligations, part shared belief
-Beliefs: Fundamental moral principle of humanity (all humans born free and equal in dignity and rights) and humanitarian imperative (action should be taken to prevent or alleviate human suffering arising out of conflict and disaster with nothing overriding this principle)
-Role: local and community efforts first as responsible, then state, but international actors essential role to support public authorities and assisting states to fulfill responsibilities with special roles of each mandated; interpret role in relation to the needs and capacities (what able to do) of affected populations and the responsibilities of the govts in an impartial independent and non-partisan role
-Common principles , rights, and duties:

1)Right to life with dignity (adequate standard of living and freedom from torture, or inhuman treatment)

2) right to receive humanitarian assistance (encompasses 1 in that you should have adequate food, shelter, clothing and water and can be assisted in this based on impartiality and non-discrimination)

3)right to protection and security (rooted in international law, resolutions of Un and other org, and sovereign responsibility to protect all those with their jurisdiction)
-During war based on the principle of distinction between combatants and civilians and proportionality in use of force and precaution in the attack; also more important during asylum or sanctuary rights esp with non-refoulement
-Commitment: services in the belief that affected the population at the center of hum action, know may have adverse effects sometimes, act with and give substance to principles of this Charter as well as principles of humanitarian action in general, and committed to ensuring minimum requirements for people affected.

Humanitarian imperative:-

-Right to receive and give assistance to anyone

-core of humanitarian sector

Humanitarian System:

-affected populations in center of system

-spread out to NGO's

-network of interconnected and operational entities through which humanitarian assistance is provided

-exponantial growth of this system

-primary mandate=core purpose is humanitarian aid

-critical partners = play role in humanitarian aid, but not primary function (private industries like religious groups etc)

-missing groups = affected populations as those aiding the crisis as well;diaspora groups providing assistance